Newborn
by Lantern's Light
Summary: Tohru thinks back to the day Akito died, the son he left behind, and has an encounter with the boy that replaced him. Please read and review.


**All original characters and plot of Furuba Exotic, including the name, is (C) MaLynda Mackler, and is not to be used without permission, which is usually welcomly given.**

**Fruits Basket doesn't belong to me, I lay no claim to this wonderful series except for this humble contribution to its genius.**

- Furuba Exotic -

Newborn

_Tohru thinks back to the day Akito died, the son he left behind, and has an encounter with the boy that replaced him._

Akito Sohma was dead.

Even months, years, later, Tohru found this passing thought foreign. It wasn't that she had any difficulty with the fact itself. It was that memories of Akito, and even of that single frightening morning, where still so vivid inside her mind, even four years later, she found it hard to believe any time at all had passed.

Or that Akito was dead at all.

She wasn't sure what had sparked the flashback that morning. Maybe it was the weather, almost identical, the breeze, that smell of spring, or that she was at the Sohma main house, waiting for Yuki in the garden. The _very same_, as if she had been pulled back in time, and at any moment she would hear a child's scream and Shigure yelling all over again... See the shocked faces, the bright red splotches of blood on the kimono, the look on the face of his son.

She shook her head, and rubbed her eyes, banishing old and dark memories. It was a pleasant morning, a very warm spring, and the cherry blossoms where in bursts of full bloom around her. The garden of the Sohma house was a riot of color and scent, caught in the breath of time. Tohru would much rather enjoy the morning, but fate had somethingin store for her.

Tohru leaned down next to the garden pond, koi brimming at it's surface and catching bits of food that had floated down to them. The loose petals cast a pale pink blanket across the surface of the reflecting pool, and she dipped her fingers into the cool water. The fish swam up and nibbled at her fingertips, and Tohru's face broke in a smile.

Yuki would be back soon, and then they could go home. Who knew what kind of trouble her daughter could get into with only Shigure to watch over her? Tomoyo was the regular mischief-maker, and Tohru was already prepared for the mess she knew she would find the child in when she got home.

She had never quite figured out how the rough and tumble trouble maker could be Yuki's. Her husband loved the girl dearly, but they where still nothing alike.

There was a sudden shift in the breeze, and the koi fled deep into the pond. Petals drifted down from the trees to scatter in her hair and on the water. Ripples spread the reflection across the smooth surface.

Tohru's eyes where torn upwards, away from the calming scene, to the boy on the other bank of the pond.

The boy was smiling, a kind and gentle spirit radiating from him. His hair was floppy and fluffy, dancing in his eyes and face and being caught by the wind, a sort of shade somewhere between blonde and gray. Twinkling eyes where brown like the earth. He couldn't have been older than maybe fourteen. He looked nothing like Akito.

But she knew who he was.

She had never met Sohma Kanaye. When Akito had died and the new head of the family had been chosen, there had been some sort of trouble. With one thing and another, their paths had never crossed.

There was, to her somewhat surprise, no malice in those eyes when they met hers, no hatred, nor distrust. In fact, the boy looked as if he was enjoying a private joke, rather than bearing the insanity the Sohma heads where so famous for.

A long silence stretched over the koi pond, a moment caught in time.

"Tohru!"

Yuki's voice cut through the moment, and Tohru quickly through a "I'm over here!" over one shoulder before turning back to the koi pond.

The boy was gone.

Yuki walked over to her, and when he notice her distracted look, he followed her gaze to the empty bank.

"What is it?"

Tohru blinked, and then smiled.

"Oh, nothing. Come on, Yuki, lets get home before Tomoyo tears the house apart."

Fin

**Note:** This is only the **first** in a **series** of Fruits Basket fan fiction, which will culminate into a nexgen / continuation novel-length fan fiction under the title 'Furuba Exotic'. Kanaye is one of a few new characters making an appearance. Don't worry, I'm being very careful about how I place the OCs, I hate stories that overload the reader with new characters and I love Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo too much for that :P

To find out how Akito died, and more about Kanaye, as well as what happened to the rest of the Zodiac, wait for the next installment! (It will be a separate story)

NEXT:

**The Tale of Sohma Tomoyo**

Under the supervision of 'Uncle Shigure', Yuki and Tohru's daughter gets herself into endless amounts of trouble.


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